System and method of fluid exposure and data acquisition

Abstract

An apparatus has a data acquisition device, an environmental cell in a spatial registration relative to the data acquisition device, the environmental cell being configured to support a sample, and a fluid management system configured to initiate and discontinue exposure of the sample to a reaction fluid while the spatial registration is maintained. A method of performing data acquisition for a sample includes spatially registering the sample relative to a data acquisition device, at least partially exposing the sample to a reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device, at least partially discontinuing exposing the sample to the reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device, and acquiring data about the sample while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device.

1. An apparatus, comprising:
 a data acquisition device; 
 an environmental cell in a spatial registration relative to the data acquisition device, the environmental cell being configured to support a sample; and 
 a fluid management system configured to initiate and discontinue exposure of the sample to a reaction fluid while the spatial registration is maintained. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the data acquisition device is a vertical scanning interferometer. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the environmental cell comprises a concavity for receiving at least a portion of the sample and for receiving at least a portion of the reaction fluid. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the environmental cell further comprises an integral channel in fluid communication with the concavity. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the concavity is substantially cylindrical in shape. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid management system comprises a scavenger tube operable to limit at least one of a height and a diameter of a fluid envelope formed by the reaction fluid. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the scavenger tube removes reaction fluid from the fluid envelope in response to the scavenger tube contacting an interface of the reaction fluid. 
     
     
       8. A method of performing data acquisition for a sample, comprising:
 spatially registering the sample relative to a data acquisition device; 
 at least partially exposing the sample to a reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device; 
 at least partially discontinuing exposing the sample to the reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device; and 
 acquiring data about the sample while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 flowing a gas near the sample to limit exposure of the sample to an ambient gas. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 creating and maintaining a fluid envelope during the at least partially exposing the sample to the reaction fluid; and 
 limiting a dimension of the fluid envelope while flowing a substantially constant flow of the reaction fluid to the fluid envelope. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data acquisition device is a vertical scanning interferometer. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the at least partially exposing the sample to a reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device and the at least partially discontinuing exposing the sample to the reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device are accomplished while mechanically isolating the sample from fluid transfer components. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 after acquiring the data about the sample, resuming at least partially exposing the sample to a reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device; 
 at least partially discontinuing exposing the sample to the reaction fluid while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device; and 
 acquiring additional data about the sample while substantially maintaining the spatial registration of the sample relative to the data acquisition device. 
 
     
     
       14. An apparatus, comprising:
 an interferometer having an optical objective; 
 an environmental cell spatially registered relative to the interferometer; 
 a fluid supply component configured to selectively supply a reaction fluid to the environmental cell; 
 a fluid evacuation component configured to selectively evacuate substantially all of the reaction fluid from the environmental cell; and 
 a scavenger tube configured to limit at least one of a dimension and a volume of a fluid envelope formed by the reaction fluid supplied to the environmental cell. 
 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the fluid supply component and the fluid evacuation component are integral to the environmental cell. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the scavenger tube is configured to limit at least one of a height and a diameter of the fluid envelope by removing reaction fluid from the fluid envelope when the scavenger tube contacts an interface of the fluid envelope. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein reaction fluid is supplied to the fluid envelope by the fluid supply component at substantially the same fluid flow rate as the fluid flow rate at which the scavenger tube removes fluid from the fluid envelope. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the environmental cell is actively maintained in the spatial registration with the interferometer. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the interferometer is a vertical scanning interferometer. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the environmental cell comprises a concavity configured to receive at least a portion of the sample and at least a portion of the reaction fluid.